Against the backdrop of national concerns about abuse in care settings, and evidence that police use of body worn video cameras had led to a reduction in complaints and use of force, staff at Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Trust decided to pilot the technology.

Members of the prevention and management of violence and aggression team, along with nursing staff on five psychiatric inpatient wards, donned body worn cameras as a trial. Focus groups with service users and staff were carried out before, during and after the pilot to ensure everyone was engaged in the process and that no myths spread about the devices’ use.

All wards on which the devices were being used had posters explaining the cameras would only record when they had been activated by a staff member, and that they would only be activated if it was believed there was a risk to safety.

Compared to the same period in the previous year, the number of incidents in which there was a need for emergency restraint – due to a high or immediate risk of harm – fell from 41 to 18.

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